


The Runaway Stark

by 13SapphireStars13



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe- TIme Line Mix Up, Awesome Darcy Lewis, BAMF Darcy Lewis, Big Brother Clint Barton - Freeform, Clint has Horrible Safe Houses, Coulson Tries To Be A Father To Darcy, Darcy Didn't Do Emotions As a Troubled Youngster, Darcy Lewis Needs a Hug, Darcy Lewis is Tony Stark's Daughter, Darcy Lewis-centric, Darcy Runs Away, Engineer Darcy Lewis, F/M, Genius Darcy Lewis, Hacker Darcy Lewis, Jarvis is a psuedo-dad to Darcy, Natasha Knows Things, Protective Jane Foster, Protective Thor, Runaway Darcy Lewis, Tony Stark was a Bad Dad But He's Trying to Fix It, WinterShock - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-23
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-03-08 19:22:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3220541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/13SapphireStars13/pseuds/13SapphireStars13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lewis wasn't really her name. Long ago, Darcy had had another last name. Stark...<br/>She ran away from a father she didn't think loved her, and tried to spend the rest of her life running to get away from it. But, what will happen when SHIELD falls and her secrets are out in the open for the world to see? Will she run away from her father again?<br/>Or will she take up the name Stark after the long years of running from it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Through The Early Years

Age 4-

Darcy squealed as she ran into the Malibu house’s living room looking for her dad. Her brunette curls bounced as she stopped by the couch and looked around. She pouted when she saw that he wasn’t there. He’d said he’d wait for her in the living room so they could play together. Daddy had been really busy lately, and Mommy- wait no Pepper, Daddy always scolded her for calling Pepper Mommy- was out at the office for the rest of the day. This lead to her current predicament, her missing father.

“Jarfis, where’s Daddy?” She said her lip quivering, big fat tears threatening to fall from her baby blue eyes.

“Miss Stark, Sir left approximately seven minutes ago after receiving a call from Miss Potts to come to the office. Do you wish for me to call him on his cellphone to tell him you are looking for him?” The disembodied AI answered her in as soothing a voice he could. The young three your-old couldn’t believe she’d been left behind. Daddy had promised he’d cleared his entire day, so they could spend the day together.

“It’s fine Jarfis. I’ll just go play in my room and wait for Daddy to get back.” The little brunette walked slowly back to her room, tears dropping from her eyes as she lowered her head so Jarvis’s cameras couldn’t see.

“Miss Stark?” Darcy turned back around and looked up at the ceiling to listen to Jarvis. “If it isn’t too much of a hassle, would you like to have lunch with me? We could eat something and then wait for Sir to get back?”

“But, Jarfis you don’t eat food.”

“No Miss Stark I do not. But I could offer lunch conversation.”

“Ok Jarfis.” Darcy walked towards the kitchen and Jarvis turned the lights on and Darcy grabbed one of the apples juice boxes, and one of Daddy’s bots came out of a cabinet, directed by Jarvis, and started making her a grilled cheese. Darcy climbed up one of the chairs at the breakfast nook and sat down watching as the bot flipped the grilled cheese. Jarvis turned on some soft classical music in the background as they waited for the grilled cheese to finish. It did this quickly as the bot put the sandwich on a plate and brought it to Darcy.

“Thank you.” She murmured quietly as the bot went back to the cabinet. Darcy and Jarvis chatted quietly as she ate. Once she was finished she walked to the sink and pulled a stool. She turned the water on and began washing her plate. When this was finished, she placed left the plate in the sink and walked towards the living room again.

“Jarfis… thank you for lunch.” Darcy said quietly as she sat down on the carpet.

“You’re welcome Miss Stark. I believe that Sir is heading back here. Would like me to I could ask him if he would to take you to the zoo?” Darcy shook her head as she got up from the carpet.

“No thank you Jarfis, I’ll just go play in my room. Tell me when it’s dinner time okay?” Darcy walked towards her room.

 

Age 10-

Darcy grunted as she pushed the engine into the correct place. She wiped the back of her hand against her forehead, streaking oil from the engine onto her face as she did.

Darcy stepped back and surveyed her work. She spent weeks working on the helper robot, and while it wasn’t the prettiest, most sophisticated thing in the world, she was proud of it. She’d affectionately named it DUM-E over the long weeks. Darcy grinned as she walked to the tool table and deposited her tools neatly in their cases. She couldn’t wait to show her Dad and Pepper. Maybe if they were impressed by her efforts on DUM-E, they would pay more attention to her, and her Dad would invite her to work on some of his projects with him.

Darcy eagerly ran upstairs to where Pepper and her dad were doing some work. Maybe if she caught them before they left for the office, they’d go look at her work. Darcy doubled her speed as she came upon the stairs. She thought she heard voices come from the office.

“Mr. Stark, what are your plans for the future?” Darcy heard an unknown voice ask when she came around the corner near the office.

Darcy heard her dad laugh before he said “I plan on making Stark Industries the best in advanced weaponry.” Her father’s rueful tone brought a laugh from the other person.

“So, no plans for settling down to have a family any time soon?” Darcy figured that the voice belonged to an interviewer. She waited for her father to answer. To tell the interviewer that he already had a daughter, and she was here. But instead her father laughed, and she heard the clinking of ice as he took a drink of something, probably whiskey knowing her father, before he replied.

“Oh no. Far too busy to be tied down with something like that. Not ready for a tiny Stark to be running around breaking things. Kids just ruin everything. So no, no, no. I’m not getting the old ball and chain, you know?” The interviewer laughed slightly at her dad’s answer and asked another question about Stark Industries, but Darcy didn’t hear it. She was in shock at what her father had said. How could he say that? Is this why he never let her go out to parties and business trips with him?

Darcy slowly crept away from the office, and she was far enough away that they wouldn’t hear her running, she began running back down the stairs towards the garage. Darcy skipped the last step and whipped around the corner to the garage where she ran straight into Pepper. “P-Pepper! W-what are you doing h-here?” Darcy stuttered trying to keep back the tears prickling the back of her eyes.

“I’ve been everywhere looking for you. I need you to go to your room and stay there until either Tony or I tell you otherwise.” Without waiting for Darcy to reply, Pepper began walking towards the stairs. When Pepper reached the first step, she turned her head back and said in an angry tone to Darcy, who was still standing were she’d run into Pepper. “And for god’s sake Darcy, wash that grease off you face. I have enough to do keeping Tony in line without having to babysit you.” With that Pepper turned with a flick of her ponytail and walked up the stairs.

Darcy stunned for a second at the woman she had seen as a mother most of her life, turned and ran back to the garage letting the tears stream down her face.

 

Age 14-

“Hey Jarvis, where is everyone?” Darcy strolled through the garage munching on an apple as she waited for Jarvis’s response. She fiddled with one of the wrenches on her father’s workbench before placing them back where they had been. Her father would be mad if he found out she was in here, especially if he found out she’d messed with his tools.

“Sir and Miss Potts left for the airport approximately thirty minutes ago. They should be arriving there in twenty minutes.” Jarvis paused as Darcy felt her heart sink. “They have not shown any signs of turning around and heading back here. I’m sorry Miss Stark.” Darcy blinked back the tears. They’d forgotten her, again. Did they even spare her one thought when they left? Or had they just rushed on with their other thoughts and their lives forgetting about the girl they’d never thought about, again?

Darcy’s tears quickly turned to vicious anger. She’d never been so angry before in her life. Not even when she’d eavesdropped on her father’s interview years before. Not even when tony had forgotten to send someone to pick her up form school. Not even when he dismissed every idea she showed him. Darcy curled her right hand into a tight fist as she let her anger consume her.

Darcy screamed as she threw her apple at her father’s precious Hot Rod, the one he spent more time with than her. She clenched both of her fists in anger. How dare they forget about her?! How dare they leave her without a second thought?! She kicked at the table leg, and when that didn’t help resolve her anger, she grabbed the edges of the table and flipped it, sending its contents, including the wrenches she had fiddled with earlier, to the floor. Still angry, she began grabbing everything she could move and throwing it at something she couldn’t move or just plain out kicking it. She used DUM-E to help her destroy everything that she couldn’t break just by throwing things and kicking it. ten minutes later, there she stood in the middle of the wreckage, breathing heavily and her hands limp at her sides, bleeding slightly, as she surveyed the chaos she had wrought.

The entire garage was a mess. It looked as if a tornado had passed through and destroyed everything. The cars were almost beyond repair after she had gotten through with them. Ooh her dad was gonna be so mad. Good. Darcy smiled as she looked at the damage.

“Jarvis, would you start playing some Metallica please? Preferably their loudest songs. Play it over the speakers all over the house please.” Darcy waited for the AI’s reply, but when none came, she said “Jarvis?”

“Miss Stark, I do not condone what I believe you are thinking. What are you going to do once you are finished? Sir and Miss Potts will be severely displeased. Perhaps I should call them or Colonel Rhodes, so that they can think of a way to get you to them or get you a sitter.”

“No.” Darcy snarled. “I refuse to allow them to sweep me under the rug and ignore me like they’ve done my entire life!” The end of her sentence came out as a yell so angry Darcy didn’t think that it actually came from her.

“Miss Stark, please. Let me call Sir and tell him what has happened. You cannot possibly stay here alone while they are gone.”

Darcy walked to the door of the garage. Once there, she turned around, looked at the ceiling, and said “You’re right Jarvis. I can’t stay here.” With that she left the garage, but not before kicking at the glass doors until they looked ready to shatter. Darcy smiled as she turned away whispering so softly that not even Jarvis' sensors could detect what she said.

“I’m sorry Jarvis; I just can’t take it anymore.”

 

3 Months Later-

Darcy walked quickly down the street. She recognized the people walking behind her. They’d been following her for the past three days since she’d arrived in Chicago. The Windy City wasn’t the best place to be the first day of the New Year, but it was the only place she could think of that didn’t already have her tracks in it. She’d been on the run for three months now, and the world around her was still reeling over the fact that Tony Stark, genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, was still missing. Abducted, some said; killed, others said. Darcy didn’t really care, just so long as he was nowhere near her.

Darcy knew that she should be breaking down over the fact that her father was probably dead, but Jarvis had been more of a father than Anthony Stark had ever been to her. She knew that Pepper was probably too busy freaking out about Tony then freaking out about his missing fourteen year-old. Pepper probably hadn’t been by the Malibu house since she’d picked Tony up for the airport, so how would she know that the daughter of her missing boss was in fact also gone? Jarvis wouldn’t have told her, Darcy knew that Jarvis loyalties would always be with her and that he’d never break his promise to not tell Pepper, Rhodey, or Tony that she wasn’t at the house. She was safe from them, for now.

Darcy rubbed her hands together as she walked towards her destination, Harold’s Bookstore. The two men following her walked up to her as she reached Harold’s door. They grabbed both of her arms.

“Miss you’re going to have to come with us.” The guy on her left said as the two men dragged her towards the alleyway next to the bookstore.

“Hey! Let go of me! Hey somebody hel-!” Darcy was cut off as the guy on her left put his hand over her mouth. She glared daggers at him and made to bite his hand as she continued to struggle in the ironclad grasp she was in.

The two brutes dragged her to a dark black SUV and opened the back seat door before showing her inside and shutting the door in her face.

“HEY! Watch it!” Darcy yelled at the two brutes before she turned and tried to open the door, but it was locked. She turned to the other door to try that one, but it was locked too. She heard someone clear their throat as she tried to get out. She whirled around to face the person.

“Who are you? Why have you brought me here?! I should have you arrested! There’s this thing called kidnapping, it’s against the law you know, that’s what you’re doing!” Darcy would have continued rambling had it not been for the man clearing his throat again and raising his hand to stop her. “Miss Stark,” Darcy flinched when he said her last name. Of course this was why he’d kidnapped her. It had to do with her missing dad, his company, or his money. She opened her mouth to speak, but the man gave her look causing her to close her mouth again.

“My name is Phil Coulson. I work for the Strategic Homeland Intervention Espionage Logistics Division.” When Darcy opened her mouth again, the man- Phil- continued. “Yes, I know we need a shorter name.” Darcy closed her mouth to allow Phil to continue, not that she should have mind you, but she did. “I’m here to talk about you. You see our agency is always on the lookout for young talent such as yours. I’m also here to talk about your familial connections.”

Darcy scoffed and leaned back against her seat. Of course she was here about her dad. When did she go anywhere when it wasn’t about her father? Phil raised an eyebrow at her reaction but didn’t comment.

“Miss Stark, I need to ask you about why you disappeared, and why you have not tried to help with the search for your father.” Darcy rolled her eyes again, and at Phil’s slight eyebrow lift, she sighed.

“I shouldn’t be talking to you. How do I know you’re not just going to kidnap me and hold me for ransom?” Darcy said angrily back at him. Her eyes flicked from Phil’s face to the door beside him. Would it be unlocked?

“Miss Stark-,” Phil started before Darcy cut him off sharply.

“My name is not Miss Stark. It is Darcy. Either call me Darcy or don’t call me anything.” Darcy crossed her arms across her chest and glared at the man. “And get to the point would you? I’d rather not be in this car for the rest of the day.” Phil gave her as surprised a look she thought he could get.

“Darcy, you know that I work for the Strategic Homeland Intervention Espion-,“ Phil was cut short by Darcy’s look that clearly said ‘Get on with it.’ Phil sighed but continued. “We protect the world in secret, which is probably why you’ve never heard of us. We also look for special people or special connections. People with amazing skillsets, like yourself. Darcy, I’d like to offer you a job with us.”

“You’re joking.” Darcy’s jaw fell open. “I’m 14, almost 15 grant your and a very mature almost 15. I can’t have a job. It’s illegal.”

Phil looked like he wanted to crack a smile, but instead he said, “It’d be more of an internship. We’d show you how to use your skills and train you like an agent. Then when you’re old enough, we could hire you as an agent, or you could walk away.”

Darcy nibbled on her thumb nail. She knew that Phil was talking about her engineering skills she’d inherited from her dad, but it felt like he was talking about something else. But, Darcy didn’t what. There was always a secondary motive. If there was anything Darcy had learned about the world, that was it.

“Darcy,” Darcy looked up when Phil said her name. “If you say yes, you’d have to change your identity. You wouldn’t be able to contact your father or anyone you knew before. Even if we found your father dead, we couldn’t let you go to the funeral.”

Darcy wanted to laugh at the man's words. Even if her father was found dead, she wouldn’t go to the funeral anyway. She’d probably pull a Stark and drown her sorrows in some illegally obtained whiskey, but she didn’t tell Phil that. That didn’t seem like something you told a government, if he was telling the truth, agent. Darcy stared at Phil’s face studying it, searching it for any trace of deception. When she didn’t find any, she said “Where do I sign up?”

 

-3 years later-

Age 18-

“I get it Beatrice, I really do. I had the same problem when I applied and accepted colleges last year. Don’t you dare laugh its true! Shut up! All I’m saying is that if you want to go to Stanford, and Kyle wants to go to Notre Dame, you’re going to have to choose whether or not you apply to both. No I can’t just make the decision for you! I’m your friend not your mother.” Darcy laughed at her friend’s response over the phone. She walked around a street light and looked up. Darcy almost dropped her phone when she saw Coulson standing there. “H-hey Beatrice, I’ll call you back, okay? No I’m not in trouble. I just have to get on the bus, so I don’t need to be talking there. Ok, bye.”

Darcy ended the call and stared back at Coulson. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you Coulson.” She said as she walked by him. “Wanted to come check up on everyone’s favorite runaway hacker? Make sure I hadn’t decided to burn my father’s company to the ground? Or is SHEILD in need of another favor? I think this one will be the thirtieth, but who’s counting right?” Darcy snarked as she stopped at a crosswalk near her apartment building.

“Miss Stark,” Coulson started before Darcy stopped him sharply,like she'd done when they'd first met all those years ago.

“Never call me that again. My name is Darcy Lewis. I am no longer the sad little girl with daddy issues that you picked up off the streets.” Darcy snarled before stalking down the street towards her apartment building.

“Darcy, I know you don’t trust me after the Varkov incident, but that was an isolated incident. If we had known you were in the area when we’d sent Black Widow in, we’d have pulled you out before anything happened.” Phil said as the pair made it to the front door of Darcy’s building.

Darcy laughed as she stuck her key into the door of her building. “This isn’t about the Varkov incident Coulson. I don’t give a damn about the Varkov incident!” Darcy whirled around after pushing the door open pointing her key at Coulson like a weapon. “What I give a damn about, is that SHIELD decided to bring my father into the fold. He could hack your services in minutes, getting into all of your files. He could find me, even if it was on accident. That Coulson is why I’m angry.”

Darcy walked into her building thoroughly done with her conversation with Coulson, but she stopped cold when he said “He asked us to look for you.” She turned around slowly to see the truth in Coulson’s eyes. “He’d just come out as Iron Man, and when we approached him about helping SHIELD afterwards, he said he’d help if we found you for him.”

Darcy shook her head. “N-no. He couldn’t- he wouldn’t. He doesn’t give a damn about what happened to me when I was a child, so he wouldn’t give a damn about me when I was gone. Y-you’re lying.” Darcy willed herself to remain strong. She’d gotten rid of her feelings about her father back when she was a child, she couldn’t let back in now. She couldn't.

“I’m sorry Darcy.” With that Coulson started to walk away.

“Why did you come here Phil?” Darcy called out brokenly before the man could fully leave the building.

Coulson looked back at her, a look of sadness in his eyes as he looked into the eyes of the shattered woman in front of him that resembled the little girl he'd cared for like she was his own daughter, and said simply “I came to congratulate you on your internship Darcy. Enjoy New Mexico.”


	2. The Brother I Never Knew I Wanted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all all like really awesome! The amount of comments and kudos I've gotten is overwhelming!
> 
> So this chapter is sorta focused on Darcy's and Clint's messed sister & brother relationship; I hope you like it.

_“She’s dangerous and hates you more than life itself Stark. She won’t allow you to forcibly take her to the Tower” said a man dressed in purple holding a bow._

_“She’s my daughter. I haven’t seen her in years. I have to try.” Tony said to the archer with slight tears in his eyes, not that he would ever admit it._

_“Stark from what she’s told me she’d rather die than go anywhere with you.” The archer said raising an eyebrow at the inventor._

***********************

Age 18-

Darcy thought that she knew weird backwards, forwards, inside and out. For Christ’s sake, she was weird! But, nothing could prepare her for working for Dr. Jane Foster. The woman had never heard of the words sleep or boundaries. Often sneaking onto private property to get readings or crashing after an all-night, all-day science bender, Jane Foster was driven. Darcy was cool with running out at all times to get more coffee, more pens, more paper, and dealing with a driven woman. What Darcy wasn’t cool with was when that drive was turned towards her. And, no she wasn’t talking about the sexual kind; she’d never do that with her boss!

What Darcy didn’t like was when Jane forgot about space and the mysteries of the universe and remembered that she knew, for all her doctorates and PHDs, almost nothing about her intern. That slightly scared Darcy because when the steel hard focus of a scientist whose used to knowing everything about everything turns onto you, you’d better run quickly.

Darcy somehow had gotten away with saying very little about her childhood and keeping Jane focused mainly on her college days when the questions came around, but Darcy knew that Jane was getting very suspicious, and while dealing with Jane wasn’t always easy, or fun, Darcy actually liked the woman, so lying to the woman was off the table.

Everything was easier back at Culver, she didn’t need to be up at all hours following around a scientist that was trying to find out not only the secrets of the universe but also the secrets of her intern. Not always fun; Darcy didn’t even know why she’d signed up for this internship, there were tons of other internships that she could have signed up for, except that she needed the credits desperately to pass her sophomore year and get her Poli Sci degree.

Darcy sighed tiredly as she watched Jane began scribbling on the white board, again. It was three in the morning, and all Darcy wanted, and greatly needed, to do was sleep for a month and not deal with her life. But, Jane was supposedly on the verge of a breakthrough, and that meant no sleep for scientist or intern. Darcy was slumped in a chair trying desperately to keep her eyes up as the sounds of Jane writing lulled her to sleep.

“Darcy!” Came Jane’s excited yell, causing Darcy to not only bolt straight up out of her and fall over when gravity realized ‘Hey let’s be a bitch and force the tired intern to the floor’.

“Yes, Dr. Foster?” Darcy asked once she was off of the floor and almost properly awake.

“Get me the phone, we’ve got a breakthrough.” The maniac grin of Jane’s face would have normally sent most interns running, but again Darcy wasn’t normal or like most interns. So, she grinned right back and grabbed Jane’s phone. They had things to do.

-Two Months Later-

Darcy didn’t want to believe it. She really didn’t. First, her boss/almost best friend ran over a supposedly mythical god. Then, her old buddy Coulson steals all their research and her I-Pod, which Coulson was so getting killed for next time Darcy saw him. Now, well now, Darcy was staring as she watched one of her worst nightmares come to life. Clint walking up to the bar. Clint was in town. Great. Darcy wanted to escape quickly, but she knew that would draw the archer’s attention to her. Either way Clint seeing her was eventual. So, Darcy resolved herself to angrily glaring at the archer’s back.

Of course Clint would be here. Why wouldn’t he be? Why couldn’t Darcy have one thing in her life that was being encroached upon by SHIELD? Coulson must have been laughing at her right now given the fact that he’d probably been the one to bring Clint to Puente Antiguo.

Speaking of the archer he’d turned around to see her glaring right at him. The man had the gall to smirk at her before walking right over. Darcy glared at him as he walked straight to her. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to escape the bar without it resulting in Clint stopping her. Even if she did manage to make it back to Jane’s lab, Darcy knew that Clint would just follow her then confront her there, or worse he’d called Tasha and tell the red-head where Darcy was. Darcy didn’t even want to think about how angry the red-head would be at Darcy.

Darcy could deal with Clint, he’d been a big brother to her since he’d learned about her lack of family back when they’d first met. She’d talked him about having a parent that forgot about her all the time and had left her alone more than was healthy leading to her eventual running away. She never told Clint who her father had been, and he never asked, knowing it was a touchy subject for her, and she’d likely punch him in the face if he did. What Darcy couldn’t deal with was the Black Widow descending and asking questions Darcy didn’t want to answer.

“Hello Darcy, long time no see.” Clint said smoothly as he pulled up a bar stool to her high table. Clint glanced at the drink in Darcy’s had before subtly raising an eyebrow at it.

Darcy sighed saying “It’s just Diet Coke, asshole. Bartender gave me a strange look for it already. I don’t need you and your judgy eyebrow thinking I’m illegally drinking when I’m not.” Clint’s lips twitched ever so slightly as if they wanted to smile, but the archer wouldn’t let them. Darcy smiled at him and looked straight into the assassin’s eyes saying “It really great seeing you, Clint. Not surprised you’re here, but it’s really great seeing you.” Clint smiled slightly back before ruffling the brunette girl’s hair.

“Yeah it is Darce. Yeah it is.” Clint said softly.

**-3 ½ Years Later- - Right After the Fall of SHIELD-**

“Where were you?” A red haired woman asked coldly, her eyes narrowed into slits as Clint stared back into her eyes. Clint's bow was held loosely in his hand, which he gripped tightly at the question.

“I was on a mission.” He said simply. Natasha’s cold glare intensified, the rest of group standing behind her grew restless.

“Where. Were. You?” Natasha asked again, this time angrily spitting out the words.

“London. I had a mission.” Clint said again meeting Natasha’s cold glare with an equally cold stare. Natasha’s glare subsided some as she let the information wash over her. But, the glare was back in place when Natasha spoke again.

“Is she safe?” Natasha said, her hands slipping slightly from the guns at her side.

It was Clint’s turn to glare. “I can do my job Tasha. Of course I kept her safe.”

“Good.” Natasha nodded. “We have work to do.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely love the idea of Clint being a big brother to Darcy and Natasha acting as a guardian over them. So, tell me what you think about this chapter okie dokie?


	3. A Surprise Visitor In London

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Ello all! Thank you so much for all of the support and everything! I hope you enjoy this chapter; more notes at the bottom! Please forgive all of the typos, and OOC characters I don't have a beta and didn't want to revise for grammar.

-Age 21p>

  
“Darcy! Darcy, where are you right now?” Jane’s panicked voice reached Darcy’s ears as she answered the phone.

  
“Hey Jane, what’s up? How’s life in the Big Apple? I just shipped the last of your equipment over, so you should get it by Friday, I think.” Darcy rattled off as she pushed open the door to her small apartment.

  
“Darcy, you need to get to the London Stark Industries building now.” Jane said urgently.

  
“Jane, I know you want me to work with you at SI, but I told you no.” Darcy said a tad angrily. She hadn’t told Jane about her past, but the other woman knew Darcy had problems with Stark Industries.

  
“Darcy, you need to listen to me! You’re in danger! Something’s happened!” Jane said frantically.

  
“Jane what could have possibly happened? Did you accidentally burn box of pop tarts?” Darcy dropped her keys onto her small side table.

"Darcy this is serious! SHIELD is gone!" Jane positively screeched into her phone. "Thor just got a call from Captain America asking for help after all of SHIELD' files got dumped onto the internet. The Black Widow is in the Tower going through those files, and Stark's evacuated the Tower of everyone, but those that are trusted. Thor won't answer his phone, and I'm freaking out."

Jane was rambling, but Darcy couldn't find it within herself to try and stop it. She let Jane's words flow through one ear and out the other, not hearing. Darcy had spent so long running, knowing that SHIELD was always there to protect her. Whether it was from aliens trying to invade New York, London, or God knows anywhere else or keeping her father off her tail, SHIELD was a shadowing presence, shielding her if you ignore the pun.

Now that SHIELD was gone, and it was only a matter of time before someone found her file and tried to hurt her. No amount of hacking or blackmail could get her file off. Not even those most skilled of hackers would even attempt to try to pull that off.

Now she had to stand up and fight. Because while SHIELD was gone, she couldn't fall with it. She had to use everything in her ability to stay safe and stay alive. But, she couldn't forget the small family she had collected. Jane, Coulson, Clint, and Tasha were all still out there and in trouble. While Darcy didn't doubt Clint's or Tasha's abilities to keep themselves uninjured, she doubted Jane's. The crazy scientist that had filled in the role Darcy had long kept absent. The role of best friend, and she had to keep Jane safe from all of the horrible things that were now going to happen. If that possibly meant going back to her Father and her Father's company to keep Jane safe then she'd suck it up. She'd couldn't keep Coulson safe when he died and then somehow found a way to live in SHIELD's infinite pool of secrets, so she was going to keep Jane safe. No matter what.

Jane's voice was still coming put of her phone trying to get Darcy to respond. A hand, coming out of nowhere or Darcy was just too lost to see it, grabbed the phone placing it on hold before Darcy could even blink. Darcy felt her training, drilled into her by Clint and Tasha all those years ago, kick in as she grabbed the hand twisting it and bending her knees as she used her attackers weight and her momentum to throw him over her shoulder. She threw herself on top of the man she'd thrown onto the ground, pulling back a fist to punch his lights out. But, when she saw who it was, Darcy's fist unclenched, and she picked up her phone to speak.

"Jane, I'll be in New York by the end of the week. Don't worry; I'll be fine. Stay safe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh! It's really short, but I felt like y'all needed an update. Plus everything else I wrote didn't seem to fit unless this was posted separately. I know a lot of y'all wanted a Darcy and Tony see each other chapter, but don't worry I'm building up to it! Thanks for reading please review!


	4. There Are RATS In Your Safe House Clint! Don't Leave Darcy Here!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *slightly hysterical/panicked laughter* I'm a horrible person and i'm incredibly sorry  
> I know I missed last month's update, and I'm so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry this took so long! I had exams and then i was out of town the entire freaking break with zero internet, and then when i got back to school I totally forgot to write this chapter. I might be changing a few ships around do y'all like Tony/Steve? Or Clint/Pietro? I might add them but then again it's still being mulled over. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Sorry again this was so late!  
> BTW this is kinda short, but i will be updating again in a few days I swear!!

-Age 21-

The headline glared at Darcy in all its big bold glory as Darcy glared back at it with all the effort she could muster this early in the morning. While, her glare might not be as up to par as it should, and normally would, be, Darcy blamed the long hours and little sleep from jetlag, it was burning enough that Jane could feel it even though it was even directed at her.

“Darcy, what’s wrong with the paper?” Jane asked distractedly as she looked over her data that Darcy could never understand without spending thousands upon thousands of dollars to switch her major _again._

“Nothing Jane, just reading the newspaper.” Darcy tired not to growl as she turned the page, tearing the paper only a little.

“Okay.” Jane turned back to her papers and data that Darcy had tried to sort the night before but had soon given up when Jane only reached over to grab one paper and knocked everything over.

Darcy wanted to angrily tear the paper in half as the front page story continued onto the back. Why did they have to print it there? Slapping the paper onto the table, Darcy stood up and grabbed her IPod. Jane looked up confused as her intern stormed out of their makeshift London lab.

Jane looked at the paper and read the headline that had caused such a strong reaction from her intern.

On the front page the headline read **‘Stark Adopts Teenager as Heir.’**

 

*****************

 

 - 3 Days After Fall of SHIELD-

 

“I swear to God Clint next time I’m choosing the safe house! Yours always suck! There are rats living in the cabinets here Barton! Rats!”

“Darce, the entire world is in turmoil right now. I’m sure the rats enjoy your company as much as you enjoy theirs.”

“Clinton!” Darcy screamed as one of the bolder rats decided to peak its nose out of one of the cabinets closest to Darcy. She threw a pot at the cabinet and it missed, but luckily scared the rat away.

Ignoring Clint’s mix of panic then laughter, Darcy ran out of the kitchen towards her possibly less rat infested bedroom. “If I make it out of this place alive, I’m going to kill you!” Before Clint could say anything, possibly a joke at her expense, Darcy ended the call. She flung her disposable phone onto her bed, more like a pull-out couch, and ran her hands through her hair frustrated.

It had been three days since SHEILD’s files had been leaked onto the internet, by Natasha apparently, and she’d spent the entire time cooped up in a small, rat-infested, disgusting house in the middle of nowhere Germany, which seemed a little ironic but that was something to discuss when Hydra was gone for good. And, Darcy blamed Clint.

She had four days left to make it to New York to make sure Jane was okay before Thor got sent out on a mission to find her by his tiny ball of science and fury girlfriend, and Clint had dumped her without any internet, a real cellphone, or a working car to get out of here with.

Lying back onto the bed Darcy struggled to keep her eyes open. She needed to stay alert and on watch to make sure nobody, not even the rats, could break into her room. Losing her battle quickly Darcy decided that maybe it would be good if she caught a few minutes of sleep, nothing more than an hour of course.

-4 Hours Later-

"Miss Lewis I'm going to have to have you wake up." Darcy heard a familiar voice that she couldn't place this soon from waking up say as she slowly woke up. Somehow she'd ended up sideways on the disgusting bed, and Darcy was scared to even think about the possible fleas and other scary, horrible things she'd had to wash out of her hair later. Speaking of her hair, it currently hurt as if someone had been pulling on it.

"Darcy either wake up or I will be forced to use force." Darcy groaned as she slowly sat up. Maybe she should be worried that someone was in Clint's ultra-secret German safe house, but the dick had left her here alone knowing she hated being alone. It brought back some bad memories that even Natasha knew still hurt her. Which reminded her that she needed to call Tasha and tell her she was safe in case Clint didn't

Darcy slowly opened her eyes and was greeted with the slightly unsettling but not entirely unwelcome sight of one not totally dead Phil freaking Coulson.

"Natasha owes me ten bucks, and you owe me a coffee, internet, and a story." Darcy said as she stood up from her bed.

Time to kick some ass and take some names, Darcy style.


	5. Tony Returns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UGH! I have been beating my head against a wall trying to get an update out. I'm so sorry I've been such a jerk with updates. I finally just said screw it and wrote a short Tony's POV and then somehow in the end I wrote this. The ending is something I'm probably going to fix soon, after band camp. Yes I'm that nerd in band Camp. But, hey I'm a flag twirling nerd. I hope you like this chapter. More at the bottom (Ships & such)

Minutes before the S.H.I.E.L.D. information dump-

_Maybe he shouldn't have adopted the kid. Pepper had tried to talk him out of it. She thought it was too soon after their engagement. But, Tony knew the real reason. It was too soon after Darcy._

_Maybe if he could be a better father now he could atone for his sins against his daughter in the past. He needed to try. If Darcy ever did come back, he could show her that he'd changed. That he'd tried to change._

_Tony looked over where DUM-E rested. He knew that he should scrap the thing, but Darcy had made. His daughter had made it trying to connect to him. Trying to get him to love her like she loved him. Maybe he should scrap it. All it did was bring up memories that Pepper, Rhodey, even his god damn therapist said that did a number on him and his pysche._

_But, that would have to wait. Romanoff had just emailed him. Natasha never emailed.  
_

_"JARVIS bring up Romanoff's email." Tony said to the AI. The British-sounding AI seemed to sigh before pulling up the email. Tony looked at the email. _There wasn't an actual message. There was however three files. One extremelyl arge, encrypted file attached to the email, and two smaller files attached._ "Begin downloading and decrypting the larger file. I'll take a look at the smaller ones."  Tony dragged the two smaller files away from the email and opened them._

_When they loaded, Tony nearly fainted. There staring back at him were two pictures of his daughter. One was taken around the age tony had last seen his daughter and the second, Darcy looked nearly ten years older._

_"J-JARVIS?" Tony scrambled closer to the photos. "Call Pepper now."_

************

Years Before-

The second Tony arrived on American soil the first thing through his mind was a feeling of true, actual happiness. Those months in that cave, and here he was. He got to see his best friend again. He got to change the world and make it safer, a world he had helped make destructive. He got to actually eat real, or as real as some hamburger places were, food. But, most importantly he got to see his daughter again.

Darcy Maria Peggy Stark. His smart, perfect, sweet, innocent little girl. The thought that he could get home and see her, be a part of her life again, more than he had before, helped soothe even the worst nightmare that he was going to die in that cave.

But, first he had to go and make the world a safer place for his Darcy. Maybe he’d actually do something that would make her proud of him. Prove he loved her.

************

Virginia ‘Pepper’ Potts was not a panicker. No. She kept a cool face even when she’d been informed that her boss, the man who almost entirely owned the company she worked for, the man who’s dirty laundry she’d spent cleaning up, the man who’s house was locked up tighter than Fort Knox and her override code wasn’t working, the man with a daughter at home that she _couldn’t get ahold of and neither could Rhodey_ , was possibly, most likely, never going to been seen again. She kept a cool face when she found out that Tony Stark was very much alive and was coming back.

But, right now? At this moment in time? Pepper Potts was wondering if she should have just quit when she found out that Tony Stark was MIA, possibly killed.

She had absolutely no clue how to tell this man that no one had seen or heard from his daughter since he been kidnapped. Well, it wasn’t like anyone actually knew that Darcy even existed. But, Pepper normally got an email or some kind of message when Darcy ran out of food, laundry detergent, or whatever else the teenager needed. She suspected that the messages were actually from JARVIS and not Darcy, but it wasn’t her place to question. She did her job making sure Tony showed up to parties, galas, and the like without totally being inebriated or just plain out Tony.

Gosh she didn’t know what sort of things could trigger a man that had gone through what Tony did. Even mentioning Darcy could send the man into a downward spiral that was not needed. Pepper would just pretend that everything was fine, she’d do what every other personal assistant or whatever the hell her job title was, she was guessing closer to Tony Stark wrangler, and keep her mouth shut and stay out of Mr. Stark’s business.

**************

Phil Coulson sometimes hated his job. Sure he got to run around the world and save it from things it didn’t know, and would never know, were happening. The job he had was a good one. He even sometimes enjoyed it. But, at this moment, he hated his job. He’d give anything not to have this job.

Except this was his job. Do the thing no one else could, or would do. And, right now that job included telling a fragile fourteen year old girl that her father wasn’t dead and was safely on American soil giving a press conference right now. He didn’t know how Darcy would react, but Phil had known a lot of people in his life. And, he’d learned how to read them.

Darcy was special. She was ingeniously brilliant even. Her mechanical engineering gifts were stellar. Her ability to hide even better. But, Darcy was still a child. She had built defenses between her and the world and tried to show off a tough exterior, but one little crack could send her carefully crafted facade, and herself, tumbling to the ground and crashing.

Clearing his throat, Phil entered Darcy’s lab. They’d tried to put her into actual classes, but it had been quickly been proven that Darcy knew everything they were trying to teach her scientifically, mathematically, in literature, in art, in language, even the subjects that had nothing to do with the realm of normal Darcy already knew most of it. And, what she didn’t know she quickly learned all about. So, they gave her a lab space to work. The two things she couldn’t decipher or research were some of the hardest things to teach her.

Her combat abilities lacked so severely, Phil doubted she’d ever actually be comfortable taking any training courses or even be able to be anything but a beginner in anything combat related. She just didn't want to touch anyone, so they couldn't teach her to hit anyone else she shy away or start panicking. Maybe he’d talk to Romanoff or Barton about it. They might accept a challenge like Darcy. It'd be good for all of them to bond with someone.

The second was people skills. Being sequestered in a Malibu mansion for her entire life didn’t do well with her ability to communicate with people. That needed to be developed. She shied away from anyone and everyone. It's not that she didn't know how to speak, she just didn't know how to react to what others said, and what she said people normally didn't understand. The longest conversation Phil had had with her was when they had first met. She needed help with it, but she was improving, slightly. The lab techs she saw gave her a vague grasp on how real people acted and how to interact with them. But, she was far from stable in that area.

Now here Phil was. About to shatter a girl into a million pieces.

****************

It took a while, but Darcy finally noticed Agent Phil Coulson standing in the lab. She didn’t call it her lab. No. She didn’t want to get attached. This was only temporary until either she ran away or S.H.I.E.L.D. kicked her out for wasting their time and money.

She was working on a bracelet. It wasn’t necessarily jewelry. It was supposed to be used to keep dangerous hackers or anyone else from being able to us any electronic device within a determined radius of the user. She hadn’t figure out if she was going to make the device tunable to make the user unable to user determined devices and able to use other devices. Or she could put a timer on it where the wearer could use an electronic device for a measured amount of time until the bracelet fried the device.

She’d think about that later when Agent Phil Coulson wasn’t standing in the lab with a look on his face liked he’d just eaten a sour lemon. Or, maybe she was just reading into his expression too much. It never really changed. She noticed some vague, small differences during different moments, but she hadn’t been able to really decipher or understand any of them. Yet.

“Hello, Agent Coulson. What brings you down to the R & D division?” Darcy asked taking her goggles, purely only wearing them because S.H.I.E.L.D. didn’t let her within five feet of the lab without proper safety equipment and supervision. Maybe she should feel touched by the caring they showed. Or, she maybe she should feel creeped out and suspicious.

“Miss Lewis. Darcy.” Phil walked closer, his hands behind his back in some sort of way that reminded her of the military. “I’ve come to inform you that your father has been found. His plane touched down nearly thirty minutes ago, and he is at a press conference. Would you like to watch?” Darcy wanted to say no, but she found herself nodding then following Phil out of the lab and down the hall.

Nearly five minutes later she would find herself punching the wall out of pure, unfiltered anger. Then everything was a blur. She knew she was angry, so angry, at her father, Tony she decided to call him now, for not immediately going home to look for her. Of course he wanted to soak up attention, and what better way than to go off at press conference. She could hear Agent Coulson gently trying to calm her down, but she didn’t want to.

She wanted to scream, kick, and yell. Do something that might get Tony’s attention. That was basically her mission in life wasn’t it? _Get Tony to notice, even see, her for **once.**_

Darcy didn’t really feel it when Agent Phil Coulson wrapped his arms around her and hug her. She froze unused to affection. Slowly she relaxed into the hug, finding that she actually liked the hug.

“Darcy it’s okay. It’s okay.” She heard him say. Before she knew it she was shakily hugging him back. She didn’t want to talk about how she felt, and he didn’t pressure her. Maybe Agent Phil Coulson was someone she could trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO y'all said you wanted Pepper and Tony to be together. I can do that. The only reason i even asked was because AOU is such a Stony thing I was like 'whoa Joss Whedon did you read all of the Stony fanfics?' But, y'all didn't really say anything about Clint/Pietro so I guess that's okay? Also how do you feel about a threesome? Like Steve/Darcy/Bucky? (Which BTW is gonna be a slow burn probably. I'm crap at starting relationships. In writing and in life.)


	6. It's a Mission

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so don't fully hate me! I'm sorry again for this horrible update schedule, and I won't make any promises i can't keep about updating, so i just hope this makes up for my absence. SOrry it's short, but i knew i needed to update.

**\- Age 15 -  
** “Did you know that CPR has a success rate of 2% to 18% while in medical dramas the success rate is 66%?” Darcy asked Coulson nervously not meeting his eyes. The young girl had come far with her social skills, with the help of FitzSimmons, Clint, and Natasha.

  
“Did Jemma tell you that?” Coulson asked as a nurse checked his IV bags. Darcy nodded as she fiddled with her hat as she stood next to Coulson’s bed.

  
“During the Civil War, generals were more likely to die in combat than privates because they lead their troops into battle.” Darcy said. Phil adopted a vaguely sour look as he processed  what she said.

“What is that supposed to mean Darcy?” He asked.

  
“They should have stayed back.” Darcy told him simply, meeting his eyes for the first time since she’d entered the room. “They were important; they should have stayed back.”

  
“Yes they were important, but they were needed in combat.” Phil said. “They were dealing with mostly untrained soldiers that needed a present leader that knew the plan of attack.”

  
“Were you with trained agents?” Darcy asked.

  
“Yes, I was.” Phil said taken back a little bit, not that the stoic faced agent looked it. “I was with Agents Barton and Romanov, you know them. They’re good agents.”

  
“Then why did you go with them? Why did they let you get hurt?” Darcy asked with tears in her eyes.

  
“Darcy I’m an agent. When I’m told to go into the field, I can’t say no. I also do not need a babysitter. Barton and Romanov had their own parts of the mission to take care; they were not there to watch my every move.” Coulson said. “I got hurt because of my actions not theirs. Do you understand?”

  
“You shouldn’t have been there! You should have been here or at another facility, not getting killed!” Darcy said angrily. “It’s not fair.”

  
“Shh, Darcy. Shh. It’s okay. It’s okay.” Phil said as he brought the small teenager into a hug. Darcy was stiff as the stoic agent hugged her, but eventually she let herself hug him back. After a minute, Darcy pulled away and rubbed the tears away from her eyes.

  
“Next time you better not end up in this room.” Darcy said before she walked out of the room. **  
**

 

**\- After the fall of SHIELD -**

“So you’re telling me that SHIELD has fallen, but you and your little gang of misfit toys are going resurrect SHIELD and carry out missions?” Darcy snorted to herself as Phil just sat in front of her with the same expression he always had. “Look Phil, you are the closest thing I’ve got to a father, but you are actually insane. You have no recruits, no weapons, and no resources at all, yet you want to continue something that could get you killed by the government? That is something only a totally insane person would agree to join.” Darcy paused for a moment before continuing. “Where do I sign up?”

  
Phil smiled, something that was seriously starting to freak her out but that was definitely something to worry about later. Much later. Preferably a much later that involved alcohol.

  
“Good because I’ve already got your first mission set up. Sorry there’s no badge or suit to show you’re an agent, but seeing as the whole world hates SHIELD I decided that you’d be against it. You might get a lanyard if you go to our base though.” Phil said sliding a phone across the table with a USB on top of it.

  
“Okay Coulson,” Darcy asked as she grabbed the phone and USB to shove them into her purse. “What’s the gig? File runner? Lab tech? Field agent? Undercover? Will I be able to see Jane on the Job.”

  
“The Winter Soldier.” Phil said simply. “I need you to find him and report on what he is doing and where he is going. It won’t be easy. The Winter Soldier has been in Hydra custody since World War 2, and Captain Rogers will also be trying to locate him using any and all means necessary, but luckily for you Rogers is out of commission for the next few days.”

  
“Ooh a head start on the world’s greatest soldier. Glad its not Batman. Thanks.” Darcy said sarcastically. “Why do you want him found? Doesn't he deserve a little peace and freedom? I read a few of his files when I saw that he’d been in DC. He won’t want to be found after what he’s been through. He’ll go underground and won’t want anyone snooping around him. Only way you’re getting him out is if he wants found, and I don’t think my particular brand of sarcasm, issues, and insanity will appeal to the good Sergeant Barnes. Do you have some sort of World War 2 Hero tracker or something?” Coulson smiled at Darcy, which still freaked her out by the way.

  
“You might want to come by the base to see for yourself.” Coulson told her.

  
“Coulson, what in the hell are you doing in your spare time?”

  
***************

  
“Coulson, the hell did you do during your spare time?”

  
Coulson just smiled slightly at her as Darcy ran her hands over the files upon files written throughout the years about Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers, and the Winter Soldier, the latter found from Hydra sites they'd taken over.

  
“How many trees did you have to kill to print all of this?” Darcy asked incredulously. Phil just gave her a raised eyebrow that had saying never mind. “Why the hell did you print it anyway?”

  
“Skye gave me the idea.” At Darcy’s own raised eyebrow, Phil explained. “Skye is a former member of the hacktivist group the Rising Tide. She's on the team. She mentioned once we had settled here how it’d be easy for someone to hack our new computerized file system, so I took a lot of the inactive files we had on some of our more controversial missions and persona, printed them, then destroyed the computer version.”

  
Darcy nodded as if that made perfect sense to her and went back to perusing the files.

"Well, Coulson," Darcy said as she pulled out another file. "You might want to make a Starbucks run. I'm gonna call Jane and get started. This is gonna take a while."


End file.
